How to Completely Uninstall Claude on Mac

Moving Claude to the Trash removes the desktop app, but can leave local settings, sessions and a separately installed Claude Code. This guide covers a full uninstall: save what you need, remove the desktop app, any command-line installations and editor extensions, then check the local data.

Back up before uninstalling

Confirm that conversations you need open on the Claude website, and copy local-only attachments, sessions and configuration. Desktop MCP settings live in ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json; Claude Code keeps settings and history in ~/.claude and ~/.claude.json. Reinstalling will not restore data you delete.

This guide covers the macOS desktop app downloaded from Anthropic, the Homebrew cask claude, and separately installed Claude Code. Skip components you never installed.

Remove the desktop app

Quit Claude and check Activity Monitor for its remaining helpers. For the direct download, check /Applications and ~/Applications, then move Claude.app to the Trash. Use the command below for a Homebrew installation.

Both install locations are documented in Anthropic's macOS deployment guide.

If you installed it with Homebrew

After backing up desktop data you want to keep, uninstall without zap:

brew uninstall --cask claude

The cask's removal list includes desktop Application Support, caches, logs, preferences, web storage and saved window state. --zap moves them to the Trash; it does not include ~/.claude. brew uninstall --cask claude uninstalls without zap, so desktop data still needs the next step.

A Homebrew command you run yourself does not read Mole's checkboxes. Mole checks the zap list first and skips --zap if it reaches unchecked data, shared files or anything it cannot verify, while still cleaning selected leftovers itself.

Remove desktop data

After quitting and backing up, use Shift + Command + G in Finder to locate the files or folders below and move them to the Trash. Skip missing paths and anything Homebrew zap already removed.

The desktop app's recent-document list can also remain in ~/Library/Application Support/com.apple.sharedfilelist/com.apple.LSSharedFileList.ApplicationRecentDocuments. Open that folder and trash only Claude list files whose names begin with com.anthropic.claudefordesktop.sfl, leaving the folder and other apps' lists in place.

These paths come from the Homebrew cask above. The MCP configuration path is also documented by Model Context Protocol. Remove the specific Claude files, leaving their shared Library and Preferences parent folders in place.

Uninstall Claude Code and editor extensions

Before removing the program, run claude auth logout to sign out, as documented in the CLI reference, or use /logout inside an older Claude Code session. See the official authentication guide. Login information can live in the macOS Keychain, so deleting configuration files does not sign you out.

End running Claude Code sessions, then remove each installation you have:

See Claude Code's official uninstall instructions for the installation methods and paths.

If installed, remove the Claude Code extension through VS Code's extension manager and the plugin through JetBrains' plugin manager, then quit those editors. Anthropic documents that these extensions and the desktop app also write to ~/.claude, recreating it when they run again.

Remove Claude settings and session history

Once every Claude program and extension has quit, move the backed-up ~/.claude folder and ~/.claude.json file to the Trash. This removes local settings, tool permissions, MCP configuration and session history.

The Homebrew Claude Code cask also names the locations below. Ordinary brew uninstall --cask claude-code does not run zap. After all Claude programs have quit, review each path in Finder and trash contents you no longer need.

Your home folder may also contain configuration backups whose names begin with .claude.json. Review each before removal instead of deleting by a wildcard. Homebrew only removes ~/.claude when it is empty, so zap does not remove its session history.

If you set CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR, review, back up and remove the Claude settings and history in that configured location too. Checking only the default ~/.claude is insufficient for that installation.

Projects used with Claude Code can also contain .claude and .mcp.json. Review each project before removing them. Team members may maintain these files, and other MCP clients can use .mcp.json. Save what you need and remove only unwanted Claude configuration from shared files, keeping project source code.

For a desktop-only uninstall while continuing to use Claude Code or an editor extension, stop after removing desktop data. The full procedure above is for leaving Claude on this Mac.

Check the result

Run these read-only commands in a new terminal:

pgrep -fl '/Claude[.]app/Contents/'
type -a claude
ls -ld /Applications/Claude.app "$HOME/Applications/Claude.app" \
  "$HOME/.local/bin/claude" "$HOME/.local/share/claude" \
  "$HOME/.claude" "$HOME/.claude.json" \
  "$HOME/.cache/claude" "$HOME/.config/claude" \
  "$HOME/.local/state/claude" "$HOME/Library/Caches/claude-cli-nodejs" \
  "$HOME/Library/Application Support/Claude" \
  "$HOME/Library/Caches/com.anthropic.claudefordesktop" \
  "$HOME/Library/Caches/com.anthropic.claudefordesktop.ShipIt" \
  "$HOME/Library/HTTPStorages/com.anthropic.claudefordesktop" \
  "$HOME/Library/Logs/Claude" \
  "$HOME/Library/Preferences/com.anthropic.claudefordesktop.plist" \
  "$HOME/Library/Saved Application State/com.anthropic.claudefordesktop.savedState"

• No pgrep output means it found no process launched from inside Claude.app. If it lists a process, identify and quit it.
• If type -a reports that claude is not found, this shell has no command entry. A path, alias or function can indicate another installation or an old launcher; remove only the Claude entry you identify.
• Paths printed by ls still exist and need review. No such file or directory means that path is absent. Permission denied means it could not be read, so removal is unconfirmed.

These checks cover the common locations listed here. Check editor extensions in their managers and configuration in each project too; an empty terminal result does not establish that every location was checked.

Cancel a paid plan separately

Uninstalling does not cancel Pro or Max or delete a cloud account. For a web or desktop subscription, sign in on the Claude website, open Settings › Billing and click Cancel. For an iOS or Android subscription, cancel through the corresponding App Store or Google Play account, following Anthropic's cancellation instructions.

For caches and sessions from other AI coding tools, see Clean Up AI Coding Tools on Mac: Caches, CLIs, Transcripts.

What Mole lists

Mole's uninstall list covers Claude Desktop and its associated leftovers. With Remove data and settings with apps off, ~/Library/Application Support/Claude is unchecked for review. Enabling it can preselect eligible own desktop data, so uncheck that folder to keep it; caches, preferences, logs and saved window state follow their respective default rules.

~/.claude and ~/.claude.json are outside the desktop uninstall list. Separately installed Claude Code and editor extensions are not uninstalled with Claude.app, so complete their steps above for a full removal.

What this test covered

On September 22 and 23, 2026, a development build of Mole inspected the uninstall list for an existing Claude Desktop installation without deleting anything. The September 23 scan listed 31 items, 27 selected by default, and excluded ~/.claude. This record verifies only the desktop scan scope, not a complete uninstall, Claude Code, editor extensions, the Homebrew cask or subscription cancellation.